X Vol. #4 (Mania.com)

The Review!Audio:The audio is excellent for this volume. I listened to the English dub for this review. This dub has a who's who of VA's and I feel that this is one of the best dubs right now. Everybody's voice in the series is one in which I feel lives up to the part. No problems at all in this release. It never really dies down, as the volume is always at the same level. Voices and background music are great. The best part about the audio though is the excellent opening theme. It's high bass and excellent sound makes this a great song.

Video:To sum up the transfer of this volume I only have to say WOW! The colors never really die down. The reds are bloody red, and the blacks are dark black. Truly a great transfer. The only problem I really had was in the opening the red color of the X logo would go to a sort of pinkish red. Also I wish that there would be a Japanese subtitle track that would have the song. Other than that I really saw nothing wrong with this transfer.

Packaging:The limited edition slipcase for this volume is done in orange. I love these slipcases as they look good and they also protect the regular cases. The regular case is a clear one and the cover is a great image of Kotori on a cross symbol while to the right of her is Fuma looking dark and dangerous. The X logo is done in orange on the bottom right of the color while the orange four is the next of the logo. The back of the cover has the episode titles with their corresponding numbers and it also has some screen shots of what will be in the volume as well as a summary of what's to be seen. There is also a reversible cover and this one is of the Dragons of Earth, Satsuki and Seishiro. Seishiro is in an action pose getting ready to do a spell with leaves falling around him, while the image of Satsuki is one with her face as she is with her Beast. The insert has the same front cover as the case, and the back of the insert is of a scene index. A excellent cover, and I hope we see so!me more great covers in the future

Menu:The main menu is an image of Kamui and Fuma looking at a bloody Divine Sword. It moves around and it is a good main menu that fits in nicely with this volume. The menu access time is pretty fast and I had no problems with any of the menus.

Extras:The extras are the usual trailers and the textless ending for the series.

Content:(contains spoilers)I love this series. What can I say, I am hooked on X. It's just a great series that captivated me from the start. With this volume, we get some background on characters and we also get the decision of the Divine One Kamui as to which side he chooses.

The first episode deals with Yuzuriha and her life up until now. As we start we see her writing to her grandmother about what has happened so far, and how she met the first person that can see her beloved dog Inuki, it then shifts to a meeting with Mr. Saike so that they can go meet one of the Dragons of Earth, Seiichiro Aoki. Well they have to wait for him, so she decides to get some food. As she is going to get some ice cream, she meets Mr. Kusanagi Shiyu, he was the one who first saw Inuki. That is when we get into flashback mode, as we see her when she was a little girl, and how she lived with no one ever seeing Inuki. This episode really fleshes out Yuzuriha as we can understand why she acted that way to Kusanagi and why she cares so much about people seeing Inuki. She wants him to be seen so that other people can know just how wonderful he is and how deeply she cares for him.

The second episode deals with Kamui and Fuma, and we see how Kamui became what he is today. In this one Kamui and Fuma talk about their childhood and what happened after Fuma and Kotori's mom died. It then starts into a flashback as we learn the events of the 6 years that Kamui was away. We see Kamui at an age where he didn't want to leave his friends and go to a new school. We find out that he had his powers even at a young age, and most people thought he was a freak. The destiny of him is also revealed as also his mom's destiny of what is to happen to her. Kamui's attitude is also displayed here as when he is older, he displays his strength by beating up gangs and getting in trouble. The end of the flashback shows how his mother died and why he is back in Tokyo now. The end of the episode has a great impact as we see the birth of the second Divine Sword, and the time for Kamui to awaken is almost near. All in all, a great episode and it was one that I enjoyed a lot, as we see just why Kamui is the way he is The final episode deals with Kotori, Fuma and Kamui destinies. All three of their fates are revealed in this episode and I won't spoil the episode for you, but all I have to say is that it's the best episode out of all the episodes so far, and it's one that had me emotional for a bit.

This series is just wonderful. It's story just draws you in, it makes you feel for the characters, it's visuals are just jaw dropping, Madhouse has done a wonderful job in bringing a great atmosphere and some great color to this series and the audio is just wonderful to listen, the music fits the story and therefore I just can't say enough good things about this series. If you haven't seen X as of yet, do yourself a favor and watch this anime. It's a series that you won't regret seeing.